From: Mark Volkmann <r.mark.volkmann@...>
Date: 2005-08-24T22:54:02+09:00
Subject: determining the attribute names of an object

The way to determine the names of the attributes of objects created
from a Class, Struct and OpenStruct are all different.

For an object created from a Class you call "instance_variables". I
wish that method would have been named "attributes".

For an object created from a Struct you call "members". Why not the
same as the previous case?

For an object created using OpenStruct you call "marshal_dump.keys".
My first guess was to call "table.keys", but the table attribute is
protected.

I think there should be a common way to do this for all three cases.

Suggestion #1
- add an "instance_variables" method to Struct that is the same as "members"
- add an "instance_variables" method to OpenStruct that returns @table.keys

Suggestion #2
- add an "attributes" method to Class that is the same as "instance_variables"
- add an "attributes" method to Struct that is the same as "members"
- add an "attributes" method to OpenStruct that returns @table.keys

-- 
R. Mark Volkmann
Partner, Object Computing, Inc.